Safety Rules for Kids: Home and School Concerns to Teach

Know these basic rules for children to keep them safe.

It is easy to protect your child when they are young and totally dependent on you. They spend most of their days within the perimeters of your home—a place where everything is under your control. But when your kids grow up, the time will come when you need to send them out to the world. You will have to let them play with other kids and allow them to be on their own. You can’t be around them all the time, but you can protect your child through teaching them child safety tips.

Below is a short compilation of safety rules at home and at school, so that your child can protect himself when you are not around. A quick summary of kid’s rules for online safety is also provided, especially if your child has access to computer and the internet.

Body Safety Rules

Don’t force your child into hugging others regardless if they are family, relative, friends, and most especially if they are strangers.

Teach your child to be attuned to their bodies. If they feel uncomfortable, it is their instinct telling them that they are not safe.

It is okay to give hugs, but only if the child wants to. However, it is not fine to give out kisses to other people aside from family members.

If anyone attempts to take pictures of your child or touch their private parts, advice your child that they must run away. They should immediately approach you or any adult that they trust.

School and Street Safety Rules for Children

Come up with a secret code. It could be your name or your dog’s name. So if a stranger claims that he was sent by mom, your child will already know that he must ask for the secret code.

Impose the universal rule of thumb, which is to never take or eat any goodies given by a stranger.

Help your child memorize important contact information like mom and dad’s names, cellphone numbers, and addresses.

If your child goes to school without you, instruct him/her to look left and right before crossing the street. That is to never cross the street when the red man is on, and always watch out for cars exiting or entering driveways.

Teach your child to stay on the foot path, if there is any. If not, tell them to keep walking on the side of the street, and be wary of vehicles gearing toward or behind.

Internet Safety for Children

Advise your child to avoid disclosing important information about her/him and of the family, like names, addresses, parents’ work addresses, and contact numbers. These information should not be shared to anyone without your permission.

Instruct your child not to meet someone whom they have come across online, without telling you about it. If you agreed to the meeting, your child must meet the person in a public place with one of you parents coming along.

Set up rules about internet usage. Decide which websites may be visited and for how long they can stay online.

Counsel your child about the importance of internet user privacy. Tell them that it is not wise to share log in information to anyone.

Empowering Children

You feel it’s a great way to let him get ready for the digital world—and a number of websites and apps won’t cause you and him much trouble. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s not exactly how you've imagined to be....read more »